


No Other Way

by Who_me9



Category: Avengers, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Endgame Fix-It, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Outer Space, Peter Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, nebula basically trying her best to keep these two idiots alive, nebula has a heart guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-04-05 18:45:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19046221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who_me9/pseuds/Who_me9
Summary: What if a certain spiderling aka Peter Parker had not dusted on titan?akaPeter, Tony and Nebula try to survive 22 days in the literal void of space. What could possibly go wrong? (a lot hehe)





	1. Tony, there was no other way.

“Tony, there was no other way.” Doctor Strange said breathlessly. His eyes were somewhat vacant. And then he turned to dust. Peter, Tony and Nebula stood frozen, unsure whether to move or speak or neither.

"Um, Mister Stark, where are they ohmygodwhatishappening!?" Peter panicked. He panted as he spun on the spot, looking at where the antenna lady, the angry guy and the huge guy had just been standing. Nebula collapsed onto a rock, utterly drained.

"He did it." She said, bluntly. A painful roar of thunder grumbled and echoed over them.

"Kid, get over here right now." Tony barked.

Peter crossed the small distance between them without a second thought. Tony grabbed the young boy's arms and pulled him in towards him.

"Do you feel ok?" Tony asked. Peter's eyes were unfocused. He opened his mouth as if trying to speak, but the words would not form. His eyes trailed over to where Doctor Strange had just been, and where now lay a pile of dust.

"Pete! Do you feel ok?” Tony repeated, louder this time.

"Um, um yeah I'm fine... I.. think." Peter looked down at his and Tony's hands. "Mr Stark, is that gonna happen to us?" Peter gripped Tony's arm a little firmer as he asked.

"I dunno Pete, I'm sorry.. I don't know." Tony exhaled a shaky breath into his hands as Nebula stood up and joined them.

"We're safe. If it was going to happen, it would have already." Nebula told them. Her eyes were cold, but hidden deep inside Tony thought he saw a hint of sadness, guilt even. "This was my father's plan all along. He collected all of the infinity stones and snapped his fingers. We're the 50% that's left."

Tony succumbed to his exhaustion as he slumped down against a rock. Peter and Nebula did the same. Nobody spoke for the next hour. Tony sat for most of the time with his head in his hands. Tony was well aware he had just been impaled by a crazy alien from space. But he didn't feel anything. His body was numb but his mind was racing. _If Thanos got the mind stone from Vision, does that mean Vision is gone? Oh god. Did Pepper survive? Did Rhodey? Did Happy? How could I have let this happen?_

Nebula barely moved. She stared into the distance. She didn't even blink. All she could think about was Gamora. Gamora really was gone, and she would never be able to see her again, talk to her again. Love her. 

Peter occasionally looked to Tony and Nebula. He didn't want to say it, but he was scared. He was so scared. He didn't want to be here. Not really. He did want to go to space. But not like this, not watching people die in front of his eyes. Not being strangled by a huge purple grape.  _If I had gone would I have been able to see Mom and Dad again? And Ben? Oh god.. May. Is May OK!?_

 

\--- One hour later ---

 

"We can't stay here." Nebula finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, no shit." Tony retorted. Nebula didn't react, but Tony apologised anyway.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "I'm sorry, you're right."

"We can take shelter on Quill's ship, it will be dark soon." Nebula stated. 

Tony blinked away a wave of dizziness that hit him as he stood up. He turned to Peter who was still sat down next to a pile of rocks.

"Come on kid, up, we gotta move," Tony said. Peter didn't react. Tony's eyebrows formed a frown as he crouched down next to the boy. That's when he realised one of his hands was clutching at the top of his chest just under his neck.

"Hey, you ok?" Tony's expression changed from confused to worried within a matter of seconds. He studied his young mentee's face. 

"S-sorry, yeah I'm fine." Peter dropped his hand to his side and pushed himself up to his feet.

"You didn't get hurt right?" Tony quizzed.

"No, no." Peter shook his head. But to be honest, it was getting harder and harder for him to ignore the dull aching in his neck.

"Alright, let's go." Tony encouraged and the three slowly headed towards the Milano. 


	2. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, Peter and Nebula try to navigate through the first few days alone on the wrecked Milano. Buckle your seatbelts boys and girls it’s a long one this one!

Peter’s POV.

The Milano was just as incredible on the inside as it was on the outside. Peter couldn’t help but let out a little gasp as the three allies climbed the steps up to the spaceship. Nebula lead in front, and Peter and Tony followed closely behind.

”Wow” Peter laughed, “I prefer this spaceship over the flying Krispy Kreme over there!”

He saw his mentor chuckle slightly, and then promptly winced in pain. Now the adrenaline was wearing off, everything was starting to hurt more. A lot more. All three of them had taken a hit. Peter looked at the huge stab wound on Tony’s abdomen. He swallowed thickly and offered his hand to Tony but the older man refused and nodded for Peter to walk ahead of him.

As they entered the spaceship, it was dark and eerie. If Peter didn’t know better, it almost seemed as if it was dying. There was a loud, grumbling wheeze coming from the engines below and a soft mist rose from the vents in the grated floors. As they walked through the bunk area, Peter’s excitement started to die down as the reality of the situation began to sank in. He saw half eaten food, blankets tossed around the place haphazardly, jackets, shoes, equipment. _These items.. the people they belong to.. they’re all dead. They are just dust. This is all that is left of them._ As they walked through past the work station and into the cockpit, Peter was very careful not to touch anything. One side of the ship looked pretty wrecked. There were pieces of jagged metal sticking out at all angles.

Peter swallowed. He could now hear a high pitched ringing. _Wow, this ship must be a wreck if it’s making noises like that._  Six or seven warning lights started flashing at the front of the ship. Peter watched as Tony and Nebula sprinted forward and started flicking controls here there and everywhere. With a loud crack the entire cockpit suddenly started to fill with a dark mist. Peter panicked. His head was spinning. He couldn’t breathe. Something was suffocating him. _Can’t see. Can’t hear. Can’t breathe._ His lips and fingers tingled. _Well, that is a new feeling._

“Alright well that’s stable for now I guess, I think the pressure is still equalising and he hull is cooling” Peter heard Tony say calmly. _Why is he so calm? Can he not see the fog?_

_“Mister Stark we.. we have to get out of here” Peter mumbled. “W-we can’t stay... can’t stay h-here we’re gonna s-suffocate”_

Mr Stark and Nebula quickly turned from the controls to face him. His mentor walked straight up to him and grabbed his shoulders. It’s strange, Mr Stark’s mouth was moving but Peter could barely hear anything. It sounded like he was shouting underwater.  _Funny...how did that happen, weren’t we in space just a second ago?_ Everything went dark; Peter was so tired. He let it consume him. _I’m falling. I’m-_

 

Tony’s POV.

Once Tony got a proper look at the front of the ship, the damage was pretty darn obvious. He fiddled with some of the switches to try and stabilise the ship. Nebula joined him around the other side of the controls and helped. After a minute or so the ship seemed to settle, it became almost silent. 

“Alright well that’s stable for now I guess, I think the pressure is still equalising and he hull is cooling” Tony remarked. He heard Peter mumbling from behind him and turned to see his mentee staring blankly ahead. He was hyperventilating. His face was pale white and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. 

“Peter?” Tony rushed to Peter’s side when he started to sway.

”PETER!!?” Tony shouted. He grabbed at Peter’s shoulders. “Can you hear me?” 

And with that Peter collapsed. Tony fell to the ground with him. He tried to wake him but the boy was completely unresponsive. He picked him up with one arm under his back and the other arm under his knees and raced over the the big central work station. Nebula swiped her arm across the table sending pencils and various other objects flying. Tony placed Peter down as gently as he could, he ripped off his hoodie, screwed it up and placed it gently under Peter’s head. 

“Oh my god, oh my god” Tony panted, pacing up and down. His shaking hands hovered over Peter, unsure what to do.

“Tony. Did he get hurt ealirer?”

”I.. I DON’T KNOW!!” Tony panicked. “HE SAID HE WASN’T HURT!!” Tony watched in horror as Peter started grunting and struggling for breath. He felt sick. He took a step back with his hands held tightly on the back of his head.

Nebula stared at the struggling boy for a second. And then something clicked.

“Get his suit off now.” Nebula demanded.

“What?” Tony remarked, confused.

”Get it off. Now!” She repeated. Tony didn’t hesitate in reaching forward and tapping the spider emblem on Peter’s chest. The iron spider suit snapped off in a second. He pressed the emblem on Peter’s other suit underneath which swiftly loosened. Nebula grabbed the material and pulled the suit down to his waist. _Holy shit._

Peter’s neck was completely covered in patterns of deep purple and blue bruises, which contrasted against his sickly pale complexion. His neck was swollen to nearly double the normal size. Once the suit was off, Peter’s breathing slowed and he calmed down. Nebula rummaged around a dark blue bag and pulled out a syringe and an oxygen mask. Time stood still for Tony. _How could I have let this happen?_ Nebula’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“His neck isn’t broken. Keep the suit off him for now. Keep the oxygen on. I’ve given him a steroid injection - it’s an anti inflammatory. It will reduce the swelling in his neck and throat.” Nebula stated robotically. She saw the panic in Tony’s wild eyes.

”He’ll be OK.” She reassured. Tony looked back at the small, unconscious child in front of him. He let out a shaky breath.

Two hours later 

Tony was sat next to Peter with his hand in his. Occasionally, moving the oxygen mask sitting on his face to ensure his mentee was getting as much oxygen as possible. His suit was tied at his waist and one of Quills shirts had been pulled over his head.

“Why did that happen?” Tony asked Nebula. 

“When my fa- when Thanos strangled Peter it caused bruising all around his neck. Behind and in front. The swelling only got bad enough to constrict his breathing a few hours after it happened.”

“Oh god” Tony said. As much as Tony didn’t like to show it, he carely deeply about this kid and couldn’t help but feel completely responsible for him now being stuck in outer space. He sighed.

All of a sudden, a soft moan escaped the kid’s mouth. Nebula gave Tony’s arm a reassuring pat and headed back to the front of the ship. Tony gave her a smile.

“Hey, hey bud can you hear me?” Tony asked. Peter nodded weakly and cracked open his eyes. 

“Wh..” Peter started. His hands flailed around his face to get the uncomfortable plastic mask off him. 

“Don’t. Don’t try to talk Pete. Your neck is really swollen” Tony said, taking the oxygen mask off him. Peter relaxed back down into the pillow under his head and reached his hand up to his neck. 

“You know kid. If I ask you if you're hurt, generally, and I’m speaking very, very generally here, that kind of always includes getting strangled by a huge purple alien.” 

“Dad mode activated hahaha” Peter choked out. Tony couldn’t help but let it a relieved laugh at that. 

“Listen Kid, just tell me next time ok?”

Peter nodded. 

“Alright kid get some sleep.” Tony said. Peter nodded and closed his eyes.

 

Nebula’s POV.

Over the next few days, Nebula found herself infatuated by these two strangers. Tony was so kind, yet so strong. She almost began to think what it would have been like to have a father like him, rather than Thanos. And she couldn’t help but admire  how clever the young boy was. He had managed to calculate the exact trajectory needed to safely take off... in his head... whilst stuffing his face with a bag of freeze dried strawberries. 

By the time it reached Day 7, the three allies had developed a bit of a routine. They kept themselves busy with the various tasks at hand: stabilising the engines, fixing the damaged fuel cells, planning the ship’s take off and trying to repair the comms to send out a distress signal. Nebula would tend to Tony’s wound at least twice a day. Infection was hard to control without antibiotics, but she was very talented with a medical kit. And a laser. Peter had recovered well from his injuries; the neck bruising was now almost completely gone.

“Hey smurf” Peter exclaimed. “We’re playing paper football do you wanna join me aka THE WINNING TEAM??” 

“Ignore him” Tony stated with complete seriousness on his face. “If you want to win, then it’s me you need to be with. I am undefeated. Three games in a row. THREE.”

Nebula felt a small smile form at the sides of her mouth, but she quickly hid it. She joined the two at the work station. A quiet rapid beeping started from the front of the ship.

”I’ll go check out what’s gone wrong now” Tony said with a moan.

“Tonight’s the night Nebula!! Tony says we’re ready to try and take off. We might be able to go home!” Peter said enthusiastically but then retorted as soon as he saw her reaction.

”Sorry, I didn’t think. Um... where is home for you smurf?“

Nebula pondered in silence for a minute or two.

”I never really knew what home was. I don’t feel anything when I hear that word. But I guess home became wherever my sister was.” Nebula said. Peter watched her with wide eyes as she spoke. He didn’t quite know what to say.

”Gamora is a really pretty name”. Peter said. She felt another smile form at the edges of her lips. This time, she let Peter see it. He smiled back. All of a sudden Tony jogged over to them both.

“Alright kids, we are good to go. The engines are finally ready” Tony hesitated. “I ...think.”

Peter glanced up at his mentor in amazement and disbelief. They were going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was OVERWHELMED by all of the lovely comments from yesterday thank you thank you thank you! I just had to update today! Thank you so much for reading :3 as always comments are kudos are most welcome <3


	3. When you can't look on the bright side...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 on the Milano.

Peter was woken up by the gentle hum of the Milano. Even though the vibrations did make sleeping incredibly easy, it wasn’t exactly the quietest mode of transport Peter had ever been on. Peter lay his head back down and tried to calm his racing mind. It had been 13 days since they had tried and failed to return home. The engines cut out almost immediately, and after that, everything else seemed to fail too. Peter had cried about it, several times, but he didn’t let the others see. His throat felt dry and scratchy and he winced as he swallowed. Peter yawned and cracked open one of his eyes. He looked up through the front window at the stars and smiled. A huge constellation was blinking at him. Other smaller, yellowy stars were dotted around.

As Peter stared into the blackness of space, he realised that actually, it wasn’t black at all. It was more of a deep, deep blue. And if he focussed on the emptiness in between each of the stars, he realised that it wasn’t emptiness. In fact, it was filled by even more stars, probably billions and billions of light years away. And it was beautiful. And when he looked for long enough, it was almost as if he could see them spinning and dancing around each other.

Peter watched the stars for a minute or so longer. He looked over to Tony’s bunk, but he wasn’t there. He looked above to Nebula’s bunk and she wasn’t there either. He blinked a couple of times. _Nope, definitely not there._

“Hmmm, weird” Peter said to himself.

Peter stretched and swung his legs over the side of his bunk. He pulled the screwed-up blanket off his legs and walked through into the pilot’s area where he found Nebula and Tony sitting at the work station fiddling with pieces of metal.

“What are you guys doing?” Peter asked. Nebula didn’t seem to register him talking.

“Hey kid,” Tony said, “Oh, nothing much, I was just trying to work on this damn engine again. Couldn’t sleep?”

“Not really. Something just woke me up I guess.” Peter said quietly.

“Well now you’re here you can put yourself to good use!” Tony laughed. He handed Peter a block of metal. “Can you get your finger inside that gap and push the screw out from the inside? My fingers are too big.”

“How much do you pay me again Mr Stark? I think I deserve a raise!” Peter joked. As he reached over to grab the block, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A feeling of unease suddenly swept over his entire body. It was so powerful he stood straight up out of his chair, knocking it down to the floor. The noise made him jump out of his skin.

_DANGER!!_

He tightened his fists.

_DANGER!!_

He felt sick.

_DANGER!!_

His eyes darted around the room, desperately searching for an explanation to his spidey senses acting up like this.

_DANGER!! DANGER!! DANGER!!_

Tony and Nebula stood up from their seats, unsure of what to do. Mr Stark seemed to be saying something. He tried to reach forward to him, but Peter startled backwards.

_DANGER!!_

The ringing in his ears was becoming unbearable. He squeezed his hands so tightly over his ears, but it made no difference.

_DANGER!!_

“Something’s wrong!! SOMETHING’S WRONG!” Peter screamed. “Somethi-…Someth-“

Peter looked down at his hands. The tips of his fingers felt like they were burning. And then freezing. And then he couldn’t feel them at all. They felt like the TV static you get when your TV doesn’t have a signal. And the feeling moved up his arms and spread through his whole body. He collapsed onto his knees.

_DANGER!! DANGER!! DANGER!!_

“HELP” Peter screamed, “Mr Stark help me”. He looked down at his body. Pieces of his shirt were coming away like he’d jumped into a fire. _Oh god._ It wasn’t just his clothes. He was turning to dust. He lifted his arm to see his hand disintegrate in front of his eyes. He screamed but nothing came out. He couldn’t breathe. He was choking. _I’M DYING. IT’S HAPPENING TO ME. OH GOD. I DON’T WANNA DIE. PLEASE. PLEASE. HELP ME. PLEASE, I DON’T WANNA GO. I DON’T WANNA GO. I CAN’T DIE. I CAN’T. PLEASE. I CAN’T D-_

\------

“KID WAKE UP!! WAKE THE HELL UP!!” Tony had both of his hands grasped so tightly on Peter’s shoulders his knuckles were almost white.

"Open your eyes kid!!" Tony pleaded.

Peter was screaming. His face was red hot and his cheeks were wet with tears.

“No. NO. NO” Peter sobbed. “Help me, please, please”. Peter’s eyes stayed tightly shut.

“It’s me, it’s Tony. You’re alright kid.”

Peter’s bloodshot eyes finally shot open. His eyes darted up and down the spaceship. He glimpsed over at the front of the ship. Small gasps escaped from his mouth and he squirmed to get away from the tight grip someone had on his shoulders. His hands planted firmly on the bed below him, and he turned, trying to stand up. The grip only tightened.

“Let me go!! Let me go!!” He yelled and squirmed.

“Nebula do we have any sedative??” Tony asked, still holding onto Peter’s shoulders firmly, his face etched with worry. Nebula ran to the back of the ship to see if she could find any with the medical supplies.

“It’s okay, it’s okay” Tony repeated. He sat down next to Peter and kept his arm wrapped tightly around him. Peter’s breathing started to slow slightly.

“I found some.” Nebula reappeared carried a syringe and a small vial.

“No, no it’s okay.” Tony stopped her from coming any closer with an outstretched hand. “I think we’re gonna be okay”

"I'm not ok. I’m dying Tony. I'm dying...I'm dying... I'm dying." Peter closed his eyes as he repeated over and over. He was still shaking violently in his mentor’s arms.

"You are not dying," Tony said sternly. “It was just a bad dream that’s all. I promise. You’re ok.”

Peter sobbed into Tony’s grip. He was exhausted. He let the darkness take him away.

\---Six hours later---

“Is he ok?” Nebula sat down next to where Tony was at the work station. She glanced over at the sleeping boy.

“Yeah” Tony replied, “Well, I think so”. He looked back at Peter and let out a shaky breath.

“I just keep thinking about how vivid it was for him? Do you think this might have been more than just a nightmare?” Nebula enquired.

“He hasn’t had a proper meal in two weeks. He’s exhausted. He’s sixteen years old and he’s just watched people die in front of his eyes. I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s allowed to have nightmares about all of this shit” Tony snapped. Nebula just watched him.

“Sorry. Listen. He has heighted senses, he feels things a lot more than you or I.” Nebula didn’t say anything, but Tony sensed that she understood.

“When we get out of here, I can find him. And if he is still alive, then I’m going to kill him myself.” Nebula spoke.

“Hey” Tony said, and he smiled sadly. “Dads can be tough.”

“Yeah” Nebula agreed.

“It’s getting cold isn’t it” Tony changed the subject as he wrapped his arms around himself.

“Yes. Heating systems were compromised when we tried to take off” Nebula informed him.

“God dammit” Tony shivered. “And we’re gonna have to start rationing the food supplies I think.”

“I’m fine with much less than you two” Nebula reassured. “I can have half a packet a day easily.”

“Thanks smurf.” Tony said. “You know for staying so calm with all of this. I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now.”

Nebula didn’t say anything, but she offered Tony a genuine smile and that was enough for him.

\--------

A few hours later, Peter finally awoke.

"Hey Mr Stark."

"Hey kid, how are you feeling?” Tony asked as he kicked a chair out from under the table for Peter to join him. “Listen, we don’t have to talk about what happened earlier if you don’t want to. It’s completely understandable you know. The stuff you’ve seen. I- I mean if you did wanna then that’s fine too. I guess what I’m trying t-“

"Can I ask you a question?" Peter interrupted.

"Uh, yeah course. Shoot" Tony replied. Peter sat down in the offered seat.

Peter hesitated, and Tony looked up to face him.

"Do you..do you think May is okay? I-I mean we still don't know if it happened to people back home do we? Like, there still could be a chance she is okay right?"

Tony didn't know what to say.

"Sorry, I know you don't know the answer. I guess... I just can't really stop thinking about it" Peter said, "That's all."

"Hey, it's okay Pete" Tony said as he scooted his chair a little closer to him, "I've been thinking about it too you know".

"Pepper...Rhodey" Tony started.

"Happy" Peter added. 

"Yeah" Tony sighed.

A quiet sniff brought him out of his thoughts. Tony looked at Peter who had started to cry.

"Hey. Listen Peter. We have hope, always. Hope." Tony grabbed Peter’s hand in his. “There are people that will be missing us alright? Both of us. They’re probably figuring a way to get us back right now! Pepper knows we’re not on Earth, Bruce too. And Wong.”

“Who’s Wong?” Peter asked.

“Oh, just a friend of mine.” Tony said with a smirk. “He’s a wizard.”

Peter’s eyes lit up. “Woah.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading! And thank you all for all the lovely comments honestly they make my day!  
> I hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> <3


	4. ...I'll sit with you in the dark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kid listen to me,” Tony struggled against the dryness in his throat. “You are the kindest and smartest kid I’ve ever known, you hear me? You really... It’s been a pleasure being your mentor. And I’m sorry, I know I should have told you that sooner.”
> 
> “I already know Mr Stark. You did tell me”, Peter smiled. “Maybe not with words, but you did tell me.”

**7:15pm. Day 22 since the snap. Avengers Compound, New York, Earth.**

The sunset sent streaks of orange light shooting throughout the room. Bruce, Natasha, Steve and Pepper were gathered around the kitchen table. Holograms of those who were lost flicking on and off sequentially. Next to that, a giant Earth hologram displayed the current population. Empty beer cans, half-drunk cups of coffee, old sandwich crusts and take-away boxes were scattered haphazardly all around the room. It was a scene of utter chaos and mess.

The remaining avengers had come together about two weeks ago and had been staying at the compound since, somehow trying to come up with a plan to rescue Tony and find Thanos. Although they had tried to keep it together, glimpses of their internal struggles became apparent over the coming days. It was the first time the team were fighting apart, and they had lost because of it.

Natasha was all over the place; she could not sleep. She couldn’t even eat without feeling nauseous. Bruce had just about reached breaking point. And Steve was just trying to hold it together before they all tumbled into the darkness. Tensions were running high. Most people had lost someone. And some lost everyone.

“Did he say anything Pepper? Anything at all that would give us a clue as to where that ship was going?” Steve asked. He was slumped on a chair, pen and notepad in hand. He was still reeling from their loss, and especially the loss of his best friend. Every time he’d get Bucky back he’d just be ripped away from right in front of him.

“If I knew that I would have told you already Steve.” Pepper said, exasperated. She slumped forward onto the table, head resting on her hands. Dark bags hung underneath her tired eyes.

Bruce stepped forward into the conversation; he was sceptical. “Listen, even if we do find them, we can’t forget that it’s been over three weeks. And I’m not saying we should give up but..even if they didn’t get snapped away...that’s a long time to survive in space.”

“Don’t say that!” Pepper shot him a look of anger and then sadness.

Nat let out a sigh. “We have to stay positive Bruce. We can’t just give up. You know Tony would never do that if it was the other way round.”

“What else can we do Nat? We’ve tried everything! And nothing has worked!” Bruce retorted. He paced up and down the room, hands planted firmly on his hips.

“You think I don’t know that Bruce!?” Nat shouted over to him. She was close to tears.

“Come on guys arguing isn’t gonna help”, Steve attempted to regain some composure. “What do we know already?”

“He went up towards the ship with Spiderman and that wizard.. um...he’s called Doctor Strange. That’s the last I saw of him before you guys called me”, Bruce answered.

“Spiderman? That kid from Germany?” Nat enquired. Steve nodded.

“Right, and who’s this wizard guy?” She asked.

“I barely know him but I do know that he had the time stone, that’s why Thanos was after him.”

“Then we gotta assume they’re all together and they are all still alive,” Nat finished.

Steve stood up. “This is a nightmare.” He muttered.

“Yeah, well I’ve have better nightmares”. Nat added, staring blankly at the hologram.

“Hey... so that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing.” Rhodey walked into the room and everyone turned to face him. In his eyes, a glimmer of hope was behind the fatigue and weariness. Nat and Steve shared a look. Finally, something. We might have something.

Rhodey led them into the next room, followed closely by Bruce and Pepper.

“What have we got?” Nat asked. A small device was sat on a table in a glass container, wires and cables twisted and tangled around it. Natasha had found the strange device on the streets on New York, in the midst of the chaos. She had seen Fury with it for as long as she knew him, and wasn’t about to give up finding out what it did. With Fury lost, whatever it was, they probably needed it more than ever.

“Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out.” Bruce stated.

“I thought we bypassed the battery?” Steve asked.

“Oh we did. It’s still plugged in, it just...it just stopped.” Rhodey said. The group shared looks of confusion and disbelief. _What on Earth was this thing? Where was the signal going to?_

“Reboot it. Send the signal again.” Steve said. There was hope in his eyes, this was the only lead they had so far.

“We don’t even know what this is.” Bruce said, still skeptical that this device was even legit.

“Fury did.” Nat said softly. “Just do it, please. And tell me the second you get a signal. I wanna know who’s on the other end of that thing.”

Nat turned and was shocked to see a blonde women standing confidently right behind them. Nat inhaled a small gasp and stumbled backwards.

“Where’s Fury?” The woman asked. Calm and confident.

“The hell are you?” Rhodey stepped in front of Nat. “How did you get in here?”

“Where is Fury?” She repeated, louder this time. She looked over to the device, shocked to see what these people had done to it. But even more shocked to see that Fury was nowhere to be seen.

“How do you know Fury?” Nat questioned, suspicious of this mysterious woman appearing from nowhere. Rhodey put his arm out to stop Nat getting closer. _Perhaps this woman knows something?_

“Hey, blondie”, Rhodey noticed the woman’s eyes never leaving the device. “You know what that thing does?”

The avengers stood defensively in between the strange woman and the device.

“I know exactly what it does.” She replied. “Because I MADE it. I GAVE it to Fury. He was to use it when he needed my help.”

This made Nat and the others back down. They lead her into the kitchen. Over the next hour Carol introduced herself and explained how the snap had affected the entire universe, not just Earth. She explained where she was from and how they could reach Thanos.

“Titan”, Carol Said. “That is his home planet. Well, was. That is where Thanos would have taken the ship to. I’m sure of it. His plan was always to collect the stones and use them THERE. Thanks to you guys it was a little harder for him than he had anticipated.”

“How do you know all this?” Steve asked, utterly bewildered but intrigued nonetheless.

“There have been whispers, all over the universe. It’s not just Earth Thanos is fighting. He’s fighting the entire universe.”

“Hey Carol”, Nat said. “I gotta ask. Why are you helping us?”

“Any friend of Fury’s is a friend of mine.” Carol said with a smile. “Anyway, if Tony really is Earth’s best defender then you’re gonna need him back. There are tough times ahead.”

Nat smiled back at her.

“Carol, could you find them?” Steve asked sincerely.

“I can try, yes.”

 

**Day 22 since the snap. Somewhere in deep space.**

“Peter, wake up buddy.” Tony shook Peter gently. He groaned and held his stomach as he cracked open his eyes. Tony had noticed it was getting harder and harder to wake him up.

It had been 3 days since food and water ran out. The first day wasn’t too much of a big deal. Tony’s appetite was pretty much gone anyway. But on day two it started to get harder. His entire body was in agony. The smallest movement rippled pain throughout every joint, every bone. His head pounded from the dehydration.

Tony had let Peter have the last few rations, which he ate reluctantly. The three had pushed their bunks together and had huddled like penguins on ice, trying to conserve as much heat as they could. Despite this, the temperature had dropped to almost freezing; they were still all shivering

“Are you alright guys?” Tony asked, pulling a foil blanket to cover them all better.

“Y-yeah yeah, just really c-cold” Peter whispered through chattering teeth. Peter was wearing one of Quill’s shirts with Tony’s hoodie pulled over that. Tony pulled him in closer.

“Yes. I am fine.” Nebula replies. She and Tony locked eyes. In truth, Nebula knew she was not suffering as much as the two humans. She was definitely hungry; oh boy, what she’d give for a single yarrow root right now. But the others were deteriorating, fast. She knew she’d be ok for days, maybe even weeks. She was going to die alone, and that terrified her.

“Mr Stark c-can I ask you something?” Peter whispered. Tony nodded. “A-are we g-gonna die?”

Tony looked to Nebula, who glanced back at him sympathetically. Tony didn’t even know how to respond. _Yes. Yes we’re going to die. We’re going to suffocate in deep space and it’s all my fault. You shouldn’t be here. You should be at home with your Aunt. Not dying in space._

Tony pulled Peter in towards him and planted a kiss on top of his matted hair. Peter closed his eyes and sunk into his mentor’s hold.

“It’s ok if we are Mr Stark. I-I don’t mean to sound weird...but not many people can say they’ve been to space you know, that’s pretty awesome. I’m s-super lucky”. Peter paused for a moment. “It doesn’t hurt does it?”

“No, Pete. Not at all. Just like falling asleep.”

Tony smiled at him. Peter lay back down. The dizziness washed over him every time he moved.

“Kid listen to me,” Tony struggled against the dryness in his throat. “You are the kindest and smartest kid I’ve ever known, you hear me? You really... It’s been a pleasure being your mentor. And I’m sorry, I know I should have told you that sooner.”

“I already know Mr Stark. You did tell me”, Peter smiled. “Maybe not with words, but you did tell me.”

”I love you Tony” Peter slurred. He closed his eyes and drifted asleep. Tony sighed a shaky breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He grasped Peter’s hand tighter than ever.

“How much longer is he going to last?” Nebula whispered. If Tony wasn’t delirious, he might have noticed the sadness in her face as she spoke.

“Not long I don’t think. Nor am I Smurf.” His lip quivered. Death didn’t scare him. Not by a long shot. But the thought of Pepper and his friends being alone back on Earth, the thought of Peter dying in space, his aunt never knowing what happened to him...that truly, truly shook him.

When Peter next woke up, he felt much worse. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears. His entire body felt like it was screaming. He was so delirious he felt as though the ship was hurtling through space. He turned over to Tony and saw he was asleep.

“Mr Stark”, Peter tries, his voice pained and raspy. “Mr Stark! T-tony”, Peter slurred. His hands tried to shake him to wake him up. “Don’t die please, please don’t die.” Tony didn’t respond. His eyes didn’t even flicker.

“DON’T DI-“

A sudden crash jolted all three forwards. The entire ship shook. Nebula bolted upright. Peter looked around to see that he hadn’t imagined it. Items had fallen from shelves and the pipes were creaking and moaning.

”What was that!?” Peter gasped.

”I don’t know! I can’t see anything!” Nebula shouted back. Thick, dark grey smoke had started to fill the ship and was creeping into their lungs.

“Please Tony just hang on” Peter squeezed his hand. “Nebula I think he’s dying..please, please do something!! You have to help him!!”

All of a sudden Peter heard footsteps through the smoke. And then he heard voices - familiar voices. _Am I hallucinating?_ He felt firm hands on his shoulders which dragged him away from Tony. The movement caused every inch of his body to explode in agony. The ringing in his ears became unbearable.

“NO!! NO!! Get off me!! Get off!!! Tony!” Peter screamed and screamed. The last thing he remembers is feeling a pair strong arms underneath him and seeing a blinding white light before he was swept away into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people!! Thank you again so much for reading :) Sorry this took a little longer to upload, life has been a bit crazy at the moment!! I'm thinking of perhaps continuing this story past 6 chapters with a kind of recovery/domestic fic set during the 5 years we skipped in Endgame... what do you guys think? Would y'all like to read that? Leave a comment and let me know! :D


	5. Rescue: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The avengers finally get Tony back and he's starting to recover. But things aren't as they quite seem. Who and where is this kid he insists was on the ship with him?

**Tony’s POV**

The first thing Tony felt was the comfort of the weight of a blanket stretched out across his whole body. _God, it had been so long since he had felt a blanket against his skin._ He felt a firmness underneath him and for a moment he felt like he was floating on a cloud. The blanket was so soft. And wherever he was, it felt familiar and safe. As well as that, he felt _better_. By no means did he feel back to normal, but he noticed his head wasn’t pounding so much and his stomach wasn’t so tight and cramped. He swallowed painfully, disturbing his peaceful thoughts. He started to crack his eyes open when he heard whispers outside of the room.

“He’s waking up.” Said a familiar voice.

After some shuffling outside, the door opened and Steve, Natasha and Bruce flooded in. Behind them, he saw a blonde lady hovering anxiously.

“Tony, take it easy.” Pepper’s voice was calm and soothing. She was sat down next to his bed and took one of his hands in hers. On the other side of the bed sat Happy and Rhodey. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Everyone that mattered to him was okay, and at that moment, he was entirely content.

“Pep,” Tony started. “What happened?”

“Uh-uh, don’t talk for a second you really need to rest.” Pepper warned. “There’s nothing to worry about. We got you out from the ship a couple of days ago. You’re gonna be okay, you both are.”

“Both?” Tony questioned.

“Yeah, look,” Happy gestured over to the door, where Nebula was hovering nervously, seemingly unscathed. “Blue lady is okay too.”

“And what about Peter? Where’s Peter?” Tony asked after a quick glance around the room, searching for answers from the faces of those around him. Happy grimaced and looked over to see everyone else was just as puzzled.

“Tony, he-” Pepper frowned at him, confused.

“You-you mean Peter Parker? Spider-man?” Natasha stepped forward and asked. Glances of confusion and worry were passed amongst the group.

“Yeah, where is he?” Tony said, barely a whisper. “He was right there next to me on the ship.”

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

“Where is he!?” Tony was shouting now, “Oh god please tell me he’s okay.”

“Tony, Tony!” Steve intervened, pushing Tony’s hands back onto the bed. “There was no one else on board. It was just you and Nebula.”

“What?” Tony whispered. “No! No!! He was right there next to me!”

“He’s telling the truth. I remember him being there right until the end. I tried to tell you!! Now do you believe me!?” Nebula raised her voice.

“It’s too late, it’s too late,” Tony repeated, barely audible. “He’s gonna be dead.”

Pepper held his hand next to her heart. “Shh, don’t say that, we don’t know what’s happened yet.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Natasha asked Nebula.

“We were almost about to land, and Peter was there. But there was this fog right before we crashed. I don’t remember much after that.” She said.

“Listen, Tony, we’ll find out what’s happened and get him back.” Natasha consoled. “You just focus on getting better yourself first.”

Tony stared blankly at the ceiling, too weak to even think of what to reply.

“Rhodey, Bruce with me.” Steve ordered and he headed towards the door. “We have to look on the ship again.”

Rhodey made sure the three were out of sight before he spoke. “Do you think he was just imagining him there? He’s been through a lot; dehydration, starvation, oxygen deprivation.” He asked. “Need I go on? His heart stopped three times right in front of us.”

“It’s possible but they’ve both said the same thing now.” Steve replied with a sigh. “I don’t know, something’s telling me there’s something more going on here.”

****

**Peter’s POV**

_Peter._

_Peter._

_Kid, wake up._

“Hi.” A voice echoed inside Peter’s head. Peter cracked his eyes open and caught sight of two cloaked men standing a few meters from him. His eyes widened and he tried to scoot backwards; one of his arms automatically flew to land a punch on the man’s face, only to find he was rudely stopped.

“H-how did I get here?” Peter asked.

He paused for a second before he realised the man in front of him was none other than… Dr Strange? “And how did YOU get here? You died” Peter shouted.

“Peter, it’s okay just calm down.” Dr Strange said, arms raised in a surrender position, keeping a short distance away from him. He hesitantly pulled up a chair to sit close to the bed in which Peter had found himself. Peter looked around the old-fashioned room. Books were placed haphazardly into bookshelves which lined each wall of the room like wallpaper. The furniture looked ancient and dusty. A single beam of light shone through a slightly open window, highlighting hundreds of specks of dust dancing through the air. Peter squinted his eyes at the bright light and turned back towards the two men.

  
“You DIED!!” Peter put his head in his hands. “Oh my god am I dead? I’ve lost my mind.”

“No, you haven’t okay? You’re fine.” Dr Strange glanced at Wong and then back to Peter. He paused for a second and then sighed. “I’m from the future.”

“You’re what!?” Peter exclaimed.

“Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?” Dr Strange proposed.

*** _*Two hours previously****_

_“Wong, help.” Dr Strange panted as he stumbled through a portal holding a limp child in his arms._

_The sudden movement caught Wong’s attention. He ripped out the earphones from his ears. Beyonc_ _é was obviously very important, but there was clearly a more pressing matter. Wong looked up from the book he was clasping with both hands. The cover read “Dating: for dummies”._

_“What happened?” Wong asked._

_“No time to explain, he needs help **now.”**_

_Dr Strange lay the weak boy down on the bed in front of Wong._

_“He’s not breathing.” Dr Strange said, panicked. “We’ve got to get him back.”_

_“Stephen, concentrate,” Wong said calmly, “We’ve done this hundreds of times before.”_

_Dr Strange nodded and the pair got to work._

****

“And essentially we brought you back to life.” Dr Strange told Peter.

“How?” Peter asked.

“Magic.” Dr strange replied as he wiggled his fingers and tiny sparks jumped from his fingertips. Peter giggled.

“Then you woke up.” Dr Strange said. “And nearly right-hooked me and my friend over here. This is Wong by the way.” He gestured over to where the shorter man was sitting, who gave a gentle wave in Peter’s direction.

Peter didn’t respond; he looked straight back to where Dr Strange was sitting.

“Where’s Mr Stark? Is he okay?” He asked.

“He will be, yes.” Dr Strange confirmed.

“I-I have to go back to the ship, I have to see him.” Peter panicked.

Dr Strange held his hands up towards Peter. “You can, I promise. But you must listen to me very carefully. The fate of the universe depends on it.”

Peter, realising the seriousness of the situation, relaxed back onto the bed and nodded.

“I saw fourteen million, six hundred and five possible scenarios for how this conflict will end.” Dr Strange began.

“Yeah, and you said we only won in one of them.”

“Precisely.”

“I don’t understand how this is relevant now, it’s done, Thanos won.” Peter stated.

“You’re forgetting who you’re speaking to. I made it back somehow yes?”

Peter pondered on that. His face screwed up into a mixture of confusion and wonder. “O..kay.. how?” Peter asked.

“I’m from the future. In the reality I saw in which we won, Tony died during the final battle.”

Peter frowned but didn’t speak.

“And, um,” the wizard hesitated. “You- you also didn’t make it. You died shortly after returning to Earth on the Milano.”

“I saw that both you and Tony would die in that reality. Sometimes a victory for the good of the universe is no victory at all.” Dr Strange paused. “Anyway, long story short, I found a way to make another reality possible. Welcome to reality fourteen million, six hundred and six, Peter.”

“But you said it was only one that we won?”

“That’s before your mentor invented time travel.” Dr Strange replied, sheepishly.

“Oh, he didn’t mention that.” Peter said with a tone of disappointment.

“He hasn’t done it yet. Not in your time at least. But he will. And you will defeat Thanos in this reality.”

Peter frowned.

Dr Strange continued. “The only way to make this new future possible was for me to intercept you and treat you here, otherwise…otherwise-”

“Otherwise you would have died shortly after you reached Earth.” Wong finished.

“Sir, I have to ask why? Why would you care if Tony and I died? What difference would it make to you?”

“Listen, I’m not one for over-sentimentality. But when I saw the future possibilities, I didn’t just see each outcome. I saw all the pain of every reality, every loss. I felt it. Let’s just say, the world is a little brighter and a little safer with you and Tony in it.”

“Sir, why do you trust me so much?” Peter asked.

“Instinct.” Dr Strange smiled.

“Stephen, the sands of time are running out.” Wong gesticulated towards a large hourglass.

“Looks like we’re out of time. I’m going to make you a portal, you just have to step through. Okay?” Dr Strange said.

“Yes, sir. Thanks for everything, you know.” Peter scooted off the bed to stand up and headed hesitantly towards the portal.

****

**Tony’s POV**

A few hours had passed since they had searched the Milano for Peter again and they had found nothing. Not even a clue to what might have happened to him. The group was gathered around a large table in the middle of the Avengers compound. Tony was surrounded by Pepper and Happy, with his IV line still attached to him. Rhodey, Steve, Natasha and Bruce were sat opposite them. Carol and Nebula lent against the wall as they listened in to the conversation.

“We’ve gotta do something,” Carol broke the silence. “We can’t just sit around.”

“What more can we do!?” Bruce shouted. “He has literally vanished without a trace.”

With that, a faint fizzle coming from another room made the group stand to attention. And then came a quiet shuffle of feet from behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 “Mr Stark?”

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	6. Rescue: Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is back and the team must work out what they are going to do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got there guys! Thanks to everyone who stuck around until the end and for all the wonderful comments and kudos :)

“Mr Stark?”

Peter’s voice was almost a whisper. Tony looked around to see the confused faces of everyone else in the room.

“Oh my god..” He heard Pepper whisper under her breath.

“How.. how d-“ Steve started but was cut off by Tony.

“Where were you!??” Tony rose from his chair in a second, wobbling slightly as he tried to keep his balance. He strode towards Peter, who flinched at Tony’s shouting. 

“Where were you?!!” Tony repeated, louder this time. He grabbed Peter in his arms and held him tighter than he’d ever held him before. Peter pulled away from the hug for a second and stared at Tony’s face.

“I thought you were gonna die!” Peter said with tears in his eyes.

Tony didn’t respond. He had so many questions but for now he just held Peter close and felt Peter’s heart beating against his chest. 

 

************

 

Peter was sat with the avengers around the big table. Tony had his arm around his shoulder, in an almost protective way. Even though there was no immediate danger, he never wanted Peter out of his sight again. In any other case Peter would have been over the moon to even be in the same room as these people. But for now he was pretty traumatised.

“So, what happened kid? We looked everywhere for you.” Steve broke the silence and asked Peter. The same Steve who they had fought against just a couple of years before.

Peter looked towards Tony who nodded back at him in reassurance.

“Well I don’t really remember all of it, but long story short Dr Strange took me to his place and saved me, I think I was there for a while, at least several hours.” Peter rambled. The rest of the team listened patiently.

“Wong was there, and he said I would have died if they hadn’t got to me before you guys.”

“Where is Dr Strange now?” Bruce asked.

“That’s the thing-“ Peter started.

“He was dusted away with everyone else,” Tony interrupted. “This Dr Strange was from the future. Someone’s gotta invent a safe way to travel through time.”

Tony Stark, being the smartest in the room, was one step ahead and had already worked this out of course.

“Wait... are you saying there’s still a chance? We can bring everyone back?” Carol said as she stood forward.

“Well, y-yeah I think so.” Peter answered.

The room was met with small sighs and whispers.

“So to win this fight, we first had to lose.” Nat said.

“It’s not over yet, how the hell are we gonna invent time travel?” Steve asked.

Tony looked at Peter and Pepper and smiled. He didn’t know how they were gonna do this but he had his family with him. 

For now, right this second, everything was good.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone thank you so much for reading!! I've had this idea for EVER now and I finally got round to writing it! It's basically just gonna follow what happened in Endgame, but with Peter still being alive. Chapter 5&6 might involve everyone's favourite superfamily so stick around :P Pls leave kudos and comments because they warm my heart uwu <3 I will *hopefully* be updating this story regularly so pls subscribe if you don't wanna miss out :)


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